Worldview-Panama

April 01, 2009

I have had the great fortune to travel to beautiful locations for work (photo shoots) and pleasure. It seems a shame not to share these experiences. So much thought and effort goes into finding a location for a shoot. It's a visual business reliant on visual aids. To that end, I plan to create a periodic posting called "worldview". Hopefully it will give the viewer enough photos and useful information to get an idea as to whether it is a good location to consider.

I just returned from a weeks vacation in Bocas del Toro, Panama so that is where I am starting. Bocas del Toro is located off the Caribbean coast of Panama on Isla Colon. I flew from New York to Panama City (Tocumen International Airport) and then took a cab to Albrook National Airport where I hopped a plane to Bocas del Toro. You can find reasonable non-stop fares to Panama City for around $350 or less with a flight time of 4.5 hours from New York. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for the cab ride between airports. The Flight to Bocas del Toro is $150 and is one hour.

I stayed at a bed and breakfast called Bahia del Sol which is situated just outside of town on Saigon Bay. Bahia del Sol has two houses sharing a dock, the main house with 4 rooms and Casa Rosada with 3
rooms. A group of us rented the main house which was ideal as we had the run of the place and could cook meals if so desired. A standard room starts at $80 in the main house and $50 in Casa Rosada. Other accommodations to consider are Koko Resort and Punta Caracol Acqua-Lodge. Koko Resort has 7 cabins with single
rooms starting at $260. Punta Caracol has 9 cabins hovering literally above the
Caribbean and a single starts at $316 in the low season. Bahia and Koko are walking distance from Bocas.There are also a few hotels in town at reasonable rates. Depending on your crew size you may have to use more than one hotel. For example, Bahia del Sol and Koko Resort are next to each other.

The town has some good restaurants. Om is a delicious Indian restaurant with good service. Nine Degrees is on the water and has great ceviche. Lilli's Cafe is also on the water and features some classic Panamanian dishes. El Ultimato Refugio has a different menu every night based on whatever is fresh and available. One thing to keep in mind is that no one moves too quickly in Panama. If you are on a shoot schedule, you will have to plan further in advance to arrange meals. Two good sources for restaurant descriptions and reviews are The New York Times and Bocas Yoga.

A typical day started with Breakfast cooked by the owner of Bahia del Sol. Breakfast was followed by an all day boat excursion including lunch, snorkeling and swimming. One of my favorite days included lunch
on Crawl Cay (Coral Cay) and a visit to Zapatilla Cay. Crawl Cay is a series of houses and a restaurant connected by docks. After lunch you can snorkel around the docks. Zapatilla Cays consists of two islands and is run by Panama's National Environmental Authority. The water is silky and the most beautiful Caribbean blue. Both places are gorgeous backdrops for a shoot. Your hotel can arrange a boat and
driver for $20 each passenger. The boat driver will stay with you all day. This can work out well for shoots as the drivers know the area quite well. You can probably also arrange for extra hands to assist with carrying equipment.

Other great excursions and potential locations include Red Frog Beach, Boca del Drago and Swan Cay. Red Frog Beach on Bastimentos Island is a national park with pathways through lush foliage leading to a beach.
Another good day trip includes a trip to Boca del Drago for lunch (order the whole red snapper) and swimming and then a boat ride to Swan Cay (Bird Island) which is home to the most amazing birds.

If you want to stay closer to home for a day of shooting, visit the town in the morning and go to Finca Los Monos Botanical Gardens in the afternoon. The botanical garden, privately
owned, has quite a variety of palms, ginger, flowering trees and plants along with howler monkeys and other critters. Special arrangements and hours can be made for shoots. It also has a guest house that you can rent which would work for staging.

This has turned into a bit of a travelogue for vacationers but those looking for shoot locations can get an idea of what resources are available. The best times to go weather-wise are March, April, September and October. Information on average rainfall and temperatures by month can be found on World Weather Information Service. A good source for a description of the area and surrounding islands is World Heaquarters. Panama also has a film commission that can assist you. For more photos, look for "Worldview-Panama" under Photo Albums. Please feel free to contact me at info@locatethis.net with inquiries.